Undersea Cable Cuts in Red Sea Disrupt Internet Across Asia, Middle East

Internet connectivity in parts of Asia and the Middle East suffered significant slowdowns over the weekend after multiple undersea cables in the Red Sea were severed, according to the Associated Press.

The cause of the damage remains unclear, but the disruption affected several countries, including Pakistan, India, and the United Arab Emirates.

Microsoft confirmed the issue, warning that users in the Middle East “may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea,” while noting that traffic outside the region was unaffected. NetBlocks, an internet observatory, also reported widespread outages linked to “a series of subsea cable outages” near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Two major cable systems were impacted: the South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 (SMW4) cable, operated by Tata Communications, and the IMEWE system, managed by a consortium led by Alcatel-Lucent.

Regional Responses

Pakistan Telecommunications Co. Ltd. confirmed the cuts, and telecom operators Du and Etisalat in the UAE reported slower speeds. Local regulators have not yet issued statements. Some resilience was provided by the India-Europe-Xpress cable, a 10,000-kilometer link built by an Indian company, which has helped reroute traffic and limit the scope of the outages.

Vulnerability and Regional Tensions

Subsea cables are vulnerable to damage from ship anchors or intentional attacks. This incident comes amid heightened instability in the Red Sea, where Houthi rebels have targeted shipping in connection with the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Houthis, responsible for over 100 drone and missile strikes on vessels since late 2023, denied involvement in the cable cuts. However, the group acknowledged the outage through its al-Masirah channel, citing monitoring reports. The ongoing conflict has already resulted in the sinking of multiple ships, at least a dozen crew deaths, and continued airstrikes by Israel and the United States.

As tensions in the region persist, the latest disruption highlights the fragility of global internet infrastructure when routed through conflict zones like the Red Sea.

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